The conventional progressive wisdom is that the Trump Administration will be bad for cities and for transit users. But in recent decades, a unified Republican government has been better for public transit than a divided government.

An efficient and equitable transport system must be diverse to serve diverse travel demands. Planners need better tools to quantify and communicate the benefits of walking, cycling and public transit to sometimes skeptical decision makers.

Natural Gas

In the world of natural gas, Oklahoma City is ground zero. Sandridge, a large independent producer of natural gas, is parlaying its new importance into a $100 million investment in the downtown, complete with parkland.

The National Academy of Science has released a report showing that health effects from burning fossil fuels cost the economy about $120 billion a year. Global warming was not included due to uncertainty, so it's focused mostly on air pollution.

A veteran gas producer claims that the U.S. may be 'drowning in natural gas'. Interestingly, the gas has always been there - it's technology advancements that make the Marcellus shale deposits from N.Y. to W.V. and accessible.

$147 per barrel oil prices set off a frenzy of new domestic oil drilling that has all but ceased with $46 per barrel. The drop in natural gas drilling has been even more pronounced. When demand returns, domestic oil and gas supplies will likely not.

Oil, gas and wind man T.Boone Pickens is clearly interjecting himself and his plan into presidential, and vice-presidential politics. Recently, he sat down with Sarah and Todd Palin to promote his plan of using natural gas as a transportation fuel.

Utah appears to be just what Texas oilman, T. Boone Pickens, had in mind with his new energy plan that calls for widespread use of natural gas to replace gasoline and diesel, even though only one vehicle is manufactured to run on it.

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